Common name: Lobelia
Family: Lobeliaceae, Lobelia
Height x width:3-4' x 1-2'
Growth rate: moderate
Foliage: alternate, oblong lanceolate, short petioles, acute or acuminate tip, serrate margin
Flowers: scarlet red to blue including pink, white; bracted racemes; tubular with corolla tube to 1½", or star shaped with 6 lobes, 3 lower lobes narrow and reflexed downwards; summer
Hardiness: zones 3-9
Soil: moist but well-drained, organic
Light: part shade in Midwest and South, sun in north
Pests and problems: leaf spots, rusts, mites
Landscape habit, uses: border, natural shade garden
Other interest: native to eastern U.S. and Canada; named for the 16th century Flemish botanist Mathias de l'Obel
Other culture: self seeds, tends to be short-lived with replacement or division every 3 years or so; heavy mulch often kills plants
Propagation: division of basal rosettes in fall, seed (350,000 seeds per ounce), terminal cuttings of some species
Species:
•cardinalis (car-di-nal' iss)--Cardinal Flower, zones 2-9, 2-4', up to 50 cardinal red flowers in summer on a raceme to 2' long, flowers open from the base to the tip (acropetally), very attractive to hummingbirds
•fulgens (full' gens)--Mexican Lobelia, zones 7-9, native to Texas and Mexico, similar to cardinalis otherwise, often with bronze to dark red foliage
•x gerardii (ger-are' dee-ii)(x hybrida)--Hybrid Purple Lobelia, zones 5-7, 3-5' tall, purple flowers in summer, hybrid of either cardinalis or speciosa 'Queen Victoria' and siphilitica
•siphilitica (si-phil-i' ti-ca)--Big Blue Lobelia, zones 4-8, 2-3' tall, blue flowers in late summer for about 4 weeks, named from supposed medicinal properties
•x speciosa (spee-cee-o' sah)--Hybrid Lobelia, zones 5-8, 3-5' tall, red or pink flowers in summer, longer lived and more tolerant of soil types and moisture than parents; hybrids of fulgens, cardinalis and siphilitica
•spicata (spii-caa' tah)--Pale Lobelia, zones 4-8, 3-5' tall; blue or purple flowers, often tinted pink, in late summer; native to northern U.S. and Canada
•splendens:fulgens
Cultivars:
| Cultivars | species | flowers | other |
| 'Alba' | cardinalis | white | |
| 'Alba' | siphilitica | white | |
| 'Bees' Flame' | x speciosa | vermillion-red | beet red foliage |
| Butterfly hybrids | x gerardii | blue, rose | |
| Compliment hybrids | x speciosa | red, pink, bluish, purple | from seed, 3-4' |
| 'Dark Crusader' | x speciosa | blood red | dark purple foliage |
| Fan hybrids | x speciosa | bright scarlet | dark green, 2' |
| 'Illumination' | fulgens | deep scarlet | bronze foliage |
| 'Pink Flamingo' | x speciosa | rosy-pink, late | leaves as siphilitica |
| 'Queen Victoria' | x speciosa | brilliant red | bronze foliage, popular |
| 'Ruby Slippers' | x speciosa | bright garnet red | robust habit |
| 'Russian Princess' | x speciosa | bright reddish purple | purple foliage |
| 'Tania' | x speciosa | rosy lavender, late | silvery green foliage, 3' |
| 'Vedariensis' | x gerardii | dark violet | reddish green foliage |
©Authored by Dr. Leonard Perry, Professor, University of Vermont as part of PSS123 course.
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